The Finnish government keeps the pressure on students to a point that they

complain of a lack of fun at school. At the same time, there are no

nationwide exams or even final tests. There is continuous assessment -- a
mixture of monthly tests and teacher evaluations.

The Finns make sure that all children get fed by providing free meals at
school. They subsidize student travel, which they feel is a major part of the
education process.
However badly behaved, no student fears expulsion. The emphasis is
"getting to the bottom of" whatever behavior problems emerge.

Only 15 per cent of those who apply to be teachers are accepted, even
though pay levels are about average for Europe. A masters degree is
required. (Not unrelated, for it's size this country has one of the highest
percentage of Ph.D.s in the world.) Teachers are regularly sent on courses
during their long holidays to upgrade their knowledge and skills.

The Finns focus on students in need and reject a class-stratified educational

system. They feel that equality in the classroom ends up being a plus and
not a hindrance to overall progress.
Thus, the educational gap between the "haves" and the "have-not's"
shrinks, and the overall level of student and adult achievement is raised.
The answer to a truly effective educational system is no mystery; the only
mystery in the United States is why we let vested interests keep us from
achieving it.
The size of a Finnish class is not large. Each teacher works with 7-8 students
and pay attention to each student student's need. (s) he follows students'
progress and stay in close contact with school principals and parents about
the performance.

Children have some homework but the most of the work (especially in early
classes) is done at school and together with other student. The practice
together and learn together. In addition, each subject is repeated many
times in the class. As a result, Finnish children remember what they learn in
school and apply it later in life.

They also think about students' strength and weaknesses in early years.
This helps the student to understand the career and wish she or he can
choose based on her or his strength and perform much better than choosing
what (s) he doesn't need.

Finnish culture pays attention to individuals (the level of individualism is

rather high but lower than Denmark or Sweden for example). In the school
system (and in the families to a great extent), it means that children are
seen and respected as an adult. Their opinion is considered important and
people pay attention to what children say or want.
"The world" has set its priorities with regard to education. Those priorities
vary, and I'm not aware of different goals that have been set in different
countries.
There is one feature in Finnish education system, that Pasi Sahlberg has
pointed out and the same feature has been discussed in the context of the
Nordic countries in general on Quora. It is the culture of trust.
It seems to be characteristic for Nordic countries that we trust our
authorities, we trust each other, we trust our parents, teachers and
students. And this has a huge impact on e.g. the professional independence
of teachers and how students are tested. Of course we have rules,
bureaucracy and control in our education system, but many things are still
based on trust.
We trust that our teachers do their job without metering their results all the
time. Same is with the students. We have tests, but we don't examine
everybody all the time. We trust on their responsibility and their will to do
their best and that they will develop inevitably.
The other cultural feature is prioritizing between whether we concentrate to
offer the best for the best or the equally high quality "normal" education for
all. In Finland we have chosen the latter. It is a cultural choice in general. I
have understood that in the USA the choice is different.
The third feature is in the teacher education: in Finland it's hard to get to
this education, the profession is highly valued and the salaries are quite
good. The studies are high level and the educational pressure is rather in
the teacher education than in the schools. When they are let out to the
schools, they do very good work.
This all has lead to the good results in international tests like PISA. And as a
comment to Matthew Daneman: I've learned from several sources in Finnish
discussions, that we didn't really know how good our system was until we
took part to the PISA tests. So I would say that our educational style is NOT
the result of our test scores, it is just the opposite.
Finnish teachers are highly trained, well motivated and enjoys a relatively
high status in society. As teaching has been a high-status profession many
of the best and brightest apply to become teachers. The Finnish school
system (like the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish) starts at an internationally
comparatively late age (7), allowing the kids to be a bit more mature. The
first years of schools are marked by a rather small amount of homework.
Classes are kept small, and the individual school (and indeed teacher) has a
relatively high level of autonomy in how the subjects should be taught. The
general aims and targets are set in the curriculum by the state (Board of
Education), but schools decide themselves how to best accomplish them.
Further, the schools in Finland are public schools, free of charge, with no
elite schools. What stands out in PISA is the wide range of pupils
performing well, not a peak of a smaller very highly performing elite. Thus
the system is considered equal and fair (although of course there is ranking,
internal comparisons, poorly performing schools etc). To some extent the
school system has been criticized for prepping students to perform well in
PISA, rather than question the usefulness of that sort of measuring tool.
Other studies show that many teenagers are not enjoying school, and are
feeling bad because of it. So, success is a relative term. However, especially
PISA has attracted study visits from all over the world for a decade now, and
that in itself is also building a kind of confidence within the school system.
Confident teachers and headmasters are likely to also perform better. For a
more extensive analysis and discussion on the Finnish School system i
would suggest Pasi Sahlberg, our probably internationally best known
author on this:
There are a lot of things that makes their system rate so highly worldwide.
In many education systems Teachers are held responsible for the poor
performance, but one must think where did today's teacher come from
you guessed it right they were students of the same education system.
So this looks like an endless loop of blame.
This is where Finland put some great measures.They figured to get better
teachers they have to make better students.They formulated their
education system based on pretty unique components:-
Finland doesnt have schooling till age 7,but they do have preschools until
then which starts around 2 years early, where they are focused on
socialising and bonding.
On an average Finnish children get around 70 minutes of recess a day, so a
minimum break of 10 minutes after every lesson.
Very few tests and homework. They do have an exam at the end of high
school but other than that tests are not conducted often.
An average class in Finland consists of 15 to 20 students.There is no
separation of students based on ability, if you are excellent you dont get
rewarded but a weak student gets special classes to help him.
Teachers spend less time on teaching and more on evaluating and
accessing the student.
There is no strict rules for teaching only guidelines,this allows teachers to
form their own unique style of teaching. That means though a history class
may be more confined to the class, an Environmental subject students are
more likely to spend time in gardens or nearby forests.
Teachers must also obtain a Masters Degree from one of eight national
colleges.But the silver lining here is the cost is completely subsidised by the
government.
In Finland, a teacher is likely to stick with the same group of students for
around five years opposed to changing teachers system followed in many
countries.This allows teachers to bond more closely with the students.
In Finland, teachers are regarded as highly as doctors and lawyers.

2. Fears and Loop holes in the K-12 system and its implementation Platos
model was functionalist a model designed to produce competent adults
to meet the needs of the state. Educators could work to produce people
who are both self-actualized and useful to the state. There are too many
controversies and praises that hound this new law, however, many schools
in the country have to buckle up to cope with the demands as they have
already been competing globally even before the passage of the law. And in
order to meet the global demands, the schools have to face the challenges
that come with the K to 12 program implementation.
In a statement posted on its website, Anakbayan, a youth group, assails
that the K to 12 program is flawed, problematic framework which will only
worsen the education crisis and will further subject the nations workers to
exploitation. The K-12, unlike what Aquino is promising, is not a solution to
education and employment woes. Instead, it will further worsen and deepen
the problems, Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of Anakbayan, says
of the newly signed law. He says the additional years in the K to 12 program
will mean additional burden to parents and students who at present are
already struggling to finish the current cycle. At present, only 14 out of 100
finish the education cycle up to college. Additional years will mean
additional dropouts, he said. He also points out the lack of budget for
education currently. Government spending for education, as it is, is not
enough to meet the shortages at present. The shortages will worsen and we
will be faced with greater problems, he says. Crisostomo explains that
tuition rates for tertiary education will further hike as the governments K to
12 will also mean abandonment for tertiary education. We will see more
budget cuts for the State Universities and Colleges and commercialization
of universities. The government is set to further abandon tertiary
education. But the greater problem is the programs problematic and
flawed neoliberal framework for labor. The K to 12 aims to create cheaper,
more exploitable labor. The program ensures to make more semi-skilled
youths enter the labor force as early as 18 years old, which will make the
unemployment problem worse. The net effect will be lower wages for
workers, he says. Crisostomo adds that ultimately, this is an attack on
labor and wages. This program will further subject our youths to
exploitation by foreign monopolies as cheap, slave labor. Teachers in both
private and public schools have been going through series of trainings for
grade 2 and grade 8 curricula. Elena M. Borcillo, the City Schools Division
Superintendent, says the series of trainings tackle the design of the
curriculum, desired outcomes of Grades 1 to 10 program, medium of
instruction, time allotment, sample class program, learning resources,
assessment and rating of learning outcomes and culminating
activities/performances based on the Universal education system pattern.
Borcillo explains that the teachers will not be left behind as they will
undergo series of trainings until the first batch of K to 12 program will be
completed. These trainings will be passed on to their subordinates until
everyone gets to understand and employ the curricula properly.
International Journal of Education and Research Vol. 2 No. 10 October 2014
547 The research of our student, Palatta, Public Secondary Schools: An
Inquiry on the Instructional Readiness and Management of Grade 7
Mathematics Curriculum, published in the Arellano University Graduate
School Journal (March 2013, p.81) concluded that the public secondary
schools are not ready in terms of textbooks/instructional materials and
content relative to the implementation of Grade 7 mathematics curriculum
under K-12 program. Furthermore, the challenges, concerns and
impediments encountered by the teachers were moderately serious.
Marissa Aban, a grade 2 teacher in Bagong Silang Elementary in Kapatagan,
Lanao del Norte, welcomes the new K to12 program as very promising since
it will equip the students with skills and knowledge even before they decide
to get a college degree or immediately get a job after high school. This is a
practical option for the students especially those who cannot pursue a
college degree right away but could get a job and perhaps study at the
same time, Aban says. However, Aban suggests that DepEd should also
encourage the students to continue college else the country will end up
with less college graduates in the future. She cites the cases in other
countries where top positions are managed by import professionals and
leaving the blue collar jobs to the citizens of that particular country. For
Antonia Balingkit of Alubijid elementary school in Misamis Oriental, the K to
12 is a revolutionary educational leap however, she worries that it might be
just one of the failed programs of the country. Balingkit points out that need
for teachers to be upgraded as well to cope with the demands of providing
the best learning experience to their students. Quennie Ilogon, a mother of
two, worked doubly hard to help her husband financially so that her two
children can study in a private school. Ilogon says her children deserves
quality education that is why she settles them to a more expensive school
rather than in public schools even if it costs her much since she is assured
her children are getting the kind of education she wants for them. Ronald
Meinardus (2003) in The Crisis of Public Education in the Philippines, With
95 per cent of all elementary students attending public schools, the
educational crisis in the Philippines is basically a crisis of public education.
The wealthy can easily send their offspring to private schools, many of
which offer first-class education to the privileged class of pupils.
Reportedly, at last count, more than 17 million students are enrolled in this
countrys public schools. At an annual growth rate of 2.3 per cent, some 1.7
million babies are born every year. In a short time, these individuals will
claim their share of limited educational provisions. We cant build
classrooms fast enough to accommodate all these people, said the DepEd
Undersecretary, who also recalled the much lamented lack of teachers,
furniture and teaching materials. ISSN: 2201-6333 (Print) ISSN: 2201-6740
(Online) www.ijern.com 548 Furthermore, economic in nature, to save
money, the agency once came up with a solution: the mass promotion of
pupils in elementary school. In an interview with the public school teachers
who are our students at the Graduate School teachers were made to make
beautiful lesson plans and perfect reports to satisfy school heads who in
turn submit these to the higher authorities in the division, regional and
central offices. These reports were able to whitewash and hide the problem.
It takes many hours to produce a detailed lesson plan as well as make the
necessary visual aids. Most of the time the teachers would sit down and
write while letting the pupils copy the lessons on the board. They have no
more time to explain the lessons to the pupils. The integrity of the National
Achievement Test has oftentimes been compromised. The results of the NAT
determine the ranking of the schools and thus the amount of the
performance bonus of teachers
Everybody agrees that big reforms are necessary to reverse the decline of
Philippine education. This consensus, however, was hijacked by the
government to force the implementation of the so-called K-12 program
despite the absence of an authoritative study that it will raise the quality of
learning in the country.
The short school cycle is blamed for the poor learning skills of students.
Admittedly, it is a factor that affects the quality of schooling. But it is wrong
to assert that it is the principal reason for the underperformance of schools
and students. What about availability of learning resources, adequate
teacher preparation, appropriate school facilities and other essential
elements in raising the quality of education? In short, lengthening the
school cycle or decongesting the curriculum would be rendered
meaningless if the school setting is still not conducive to learning.
K-12 proponents argue that its the standard in most countries and that the
Philippines need it catch up with its neighbors if it wants to be more
competitive in the global market. Indeed, K-12 is already the global norm
but it doesnt mean that the Philippines has to blindly copy the model. In
fact, its premature and mechanical implementation might even worsen the
crisis of education in the country. Based on the experience of developed
nations, K-12 succeeded if its implemented under an efficient education
system. Therefore, what the Philippines should prioritize is the building of
modern school facilities throughout the country. Address the basic problems
of schools (read: shortages), plug the loopholes in the bureaucracy (read:
corruption), and then lets consider the proposal to adopt K-12.
Our well-meaning education officials are alarmed over the fact that we are
alone in this part of the world which is still stuck with a ten-year basic
education system. But they should be more indignant over the criminal
neglect on the part of the government to provide adequate funds to
education. The initial global standard that we must apply, without question
and hesitation, is the allocation of 6 percent of the GDP to education.
The embarrassing state of Philippine education today can be rooted to
decades of government underspending and underinvestment in the
education sector. Its the crime of the century that caused not only the
stagnation of our public schools but also our failure to imagine the
worthiness and even possibility of adding more years in the school cycle. K-
12 is a solution which we should have tackled several decades ago.
But it seems the Noynoy Aquino administration is determined to implement
K-12 without thinking of the present situation of schools, in particular their
readiness to absorb the additional tasks of the program. Shouldnt we first
correct the errors of the past by infusing more funds into education?
Shouldnt we first agree to end once and for all the everyday miseries of
schools, students, and teachers by fixing the current education set-up?
Some Aquino apologists are all praise for the bold decision of the
government to go ahead with K-12 despite the objection of many scholars
and citizen groups. They interpret it as a clear display of political will. On
the contrary, its another manifestation of the recklessness that afflicts the
Aquino presidency.
Education reforms can transform lives but they can lead to chaos and
permanent confusion as well. It is precisely the reason why programs that
require the overhauling of an entire system have to first undergo a trial run
in select areas. But Aquinos K-12 will skip that crucial and critical phase
because of the apparent obsession of the government to convert all
students into K-12 guinea pigs by 2016.
K-12 will certainly affect millions of innocent lives and whats at stake here
should not be trivialized because it involves the future of an entire
generation. But Aquino is ready to risk the future of the youth by agreeing
to the launch of the ill-prepared K-12 program this school year. Why conduct
an education experiment that may cause harm in the lives of millions? Why
the rush? Whats so special with the year 2016? The great potential of
education reforms must not be torpedoed by the narrow objectives of
electoral politics.
Education is societys great equalizer but it remains a distant goal in the
Philippines where more than half of students who entered Grade One are
still unable to finish high school. The problem is not only the short number
of school years; the bigger problem is the high drop-out rate in all levels of
schooling. The challenge then is to mainstream the out-of-school youth into
the formal schooling system. But by adding two more years in the school
cycle, K-12 will only succeed in producing more school drop-outs and a new
underclass of school rejects. K-12 will finally institutionalize the reactionary
fantasy of preventing the rise of college educated proletariat. In other
words, K-12 will worsen inequality in society.
Furthermore, K-12 advocates are guilty of giving false hopes to the public
every time they claim that the program will address the problem of youth
unemployment. Will the teaching of technical/vocational skills increase the
job prospects of the young? Maybe. But it doesnt guarantee employment
since job creation is a function of the economy, not schools. In fact, college
graduates comprise the highest number of unemployed youth in the
country because of the lack of decent job and livelihood opportunities in the
local market.
K-12 was designed to enhance the international labor advantage of Filipino
graduates. Isnt this a direct endorsement for the labor export policy? But
schooling should be more than just job preparation. Schools should not only
develop employable graduates; they should aim for the holistic
development of the youth.
The economic value of education should not be limited to matching the
manpower needs of local and foreign sunshine industries. Through
innovation, research, and systematic planning, education can be a catalyst
for sustained economic growth. Research centers can lead to the
stimulation of domestic industries. The basic requirement is that we draft an
education blueprint that serves the specific objective of building a
nationalist economy. If we are to restructure the education system, we
should aim for broader economic aspirations instead of the current
restrictive goal of transforming students into efficient but docile laborers for
the benefit of select industries.
But the power of education should be harnessed not just for its economic
value but also because of its strategic role in the nation-building process.
Students must be equipped with critical thinking skills that would allow
them to perform their duties and responsibilities as citizens of this country
and the world.
K-12 serves as a reminder that education must not be left in the hands of
technocrats, bureaucrats, and policymakers who are often divorced from
the realities of everyday life. K-12 should lead to more public discussion and
debate about the establishment of an education system that is truly
responsive to the aspirations of the greatest number of Filipinos. Hopefully,
it would inspire us to continue the struggle not just for meaningful
education reforms but also for political initiatives that would lead to the rise
of political leaders and champions who understand the role of a nationalist,
scientific, and mass-oriented type of education in improving the lives of
Filipinos.
The Lack of Education in the Philippines Quality of Education This is the first
major issue that the Philippine government should resolve but somehow it is
recently improving. The quality of Philippine education has declined few
years ago due to poor results from standard entrance tests conducted
among elementary and secondary students, as well as the tertiary levels.
The results were way below the target mean score. High dropout rates, high
number of repeaters, low passing grades, lack of particular language skills,
failure to adequately respond and address the needs of people with special
needs, overcrowded classrooms, and poor teacher performances, have
greatly affected the quality of education in the Philippines. Budget The
government was mandated by the Philippine Constitution to allocate the
highest proportion of its budget to education. However, among the ASEAN
countries, the Philippines still has one of the lowest budget allocations to
education. This is due to some mainstream political issues and humungous
problems that the government is facing specially corruption Mismatch There
is a large proportion of mismatch between training and actual jobs. This
issue arises at the tertiary level and causes a large group of unemployed
and underemployed. This is very true nowadays because of the arising BPO
industries particularly the call center companies. Hundreds of thousands of
young professionals, graduates or undergraduates from college level settled
at this type of company because of the attractive compensation that they
are offering. Call center companies do not require a specific degree of
education, what matters to them is the proficiency in the English language.
Philippine education is strongly viewed as a pillar of national development
and a primary avenue for social and economic mobility. It has undergone
several stages of development from the pre-Spanish time to the present. It
is handled by three government organizations, namely, the Department of
Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS), the Commission on Higher Education
(CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA). The DECS govern both public and private education in all levels,
with its mission "to provide quality basic education that is equitably
accessible to all by the foundation for lifelong learning and service for the
common good." The Filipino people have deep concern for education
because it occupies a central place in political, economical, social, and
cultural life in the Philippines. The government allocates a high budget
every year for Philippine education and guarantees that every Filipino has
the right to quality education. However, there are some important issues
that needs to be looked closely and resolved by the government. Among the
issues are: There is a big disparity in educational achievements across
social groups. Students from wealthy families have excellent educational
background gained from exclusive private schools at the start of their
education until they finish college. Unlike the students from the less
fortunate families, wherein most of them could not even finish elementary
nor secondary level because of poverty. They could barely afford to buy
school shoes and pencils, not even the tiny amount of tuition fees from the
public schools. Affordability There are some measures that the Philippine
government has looked into for the reformation of quality education.
Technology use is starting to gain momentum in the overall education of
this country. This helped improve the quality of education in the Philippines
and to be globally competitive in this millennium. But hopefully, with much
further improvement from the country's economy and involvement,
education in the Philippines could be drastically changed for the better. By
Ha Bui, Elizabeth Phan-Ho, Ryants Hoang, Sang Luong (SOS Brigade)
Source:
Philippine education is strongly viewed as a pillar of national development
and a primary avenue for social and economic mobility. It has undergone
several stages of development from the pre-Spanish time to the present. It
is handled by three government organizations, namely, the Department of
Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS), the Commission on Higher Education
(CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA). The DECS govern both public and private education in all levels,
with its mission 'to provide quality basic education that is equitably
accessible to all by the foundation for lifelong learning and service for the
common good.'
The Filipino people have deep concern for education because it occupies a
central place in political, economical, social, and cultural life in the
Philippines. The government allocates a high budget every year for
Philippine education and guarantees that every Filipino has the right to
quality education. However, there are some important issues that needs to
be looked closely and resolved by the government. Among the issues are:
Quality of Education This is the first major issue that the Philippine
government should resolve but somehow it is recently improving. The
quality of Philippine education has declined few years ago due to poor
results from standard entrance tests conducted among elementary and
secondary students, as well as the tertiary levels. The results were way
below the target mean score. High dropout rates, high number of repeaters,
low passing grades, lack of particular language skills, failure to adequately
respond and address the needs of people with special needs, overcrowded
classrooms, and poor teacher performances, have greatly affected the
quality of education in the Philippines.
Affordability There is a big disparity in educational achievements across
social groups. Students from wealthy families have excellent educational
background gained from exclusive private schools at the start of their
education until they finish college. Unlike the students from the less
fortunate families, wherein most of them could not even finish elementary
nor secondary level because of poverty. They could barely afford to buy
school shoes and pencils, not even the tiny amount of tuition fees from the
public schools.
Budget The government was mandated by the Philippine Constitution to
allocate the highest proportion of its budget to education. However, among
the ASEAN countries, the Philippines still has one of the lowest budget
allocations to education. This is due to some mainstream political issues
and humungous problems that the government is facing specially
corruption.
Mismatch There is a large proportion of mismatch between training and
actual jobs. This issue arises at the tertiary level and causes a large group
of unemployed and underemployed. This is very true nowadays because of
the arising BPO industries particularly the call center companies. Hundreds
of thousands of young professionals, graduates or undergraduates from
college level settled at this type of company because of the attractive
compensation that they are offering. Call center companies do not require a
specific degree of education, what matters to them is the proficiency in the
English language.
There are some measures that the Philippine government has looked into
for the reformation of quality education. Technology use is starting to gain
momentum in the overall education of this country. This helped improve the
quality of education in the Philippines and to be globally competitive in this
millennium.

3. The Philippines is undergoing a major overhaul to bring it in line with

education systems worldwide, starting with the K-12 sector. This change to
domestic education policy has far-reaching consequences and is important
for international educational institutions to consider when looking for
potential new student recruitment markets.
With the new 12-year curriculum in place, future Filipino students will be
ready and better equipped to join overseas universities at the
undergraduate level. And with a K-12 student population of 20.67 million,
which will only increase over the next 20 years (see ICEF Monitors article
New 2035 enrolment forecasts place East Asia and the Pacific in the lead),
the Philippines is shaping up to be an attractive recruitment destination.
Changes to basic education
The K-12 Basic Education Program aims to provide every Filipino child with
the education s/he needs to compete in a global context.
In May, President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines signed into law a basic
education curriculum that will see a mandatory kindergarten year and two
additional senior high school years added to what was a 10-year education
curriculum to make basic education 12 years. The programme has been
adopted not only in schools in the Philippines, but also in Filipino schools
abroad that follow the departments curriculum. Gulfnews reports:
According to Aquino, the K-12 programme will pave the way for an ever
brighter future for young Filipinos by equipping them with basic education
up to international standards.
The goal of the new curriculum is to give Filipino students enough time to
master skills and concepts so that they are ready for tertiary education
when the time comes.
Kindergarten was previously optional, and advocates of the K-12
programme argue that students who went to kindergarten are better
prepared for primary education than those who did not. In addition, the K-12
programme provides for the use of the mother tongue language as the
medium of instruction for students in the basic and lower years to facilitate
and expedite learning.
This fabulous interactive map of all public schools in the country could be a
useful tool in planning a recruitment strategy. It contains data on the
schools budget, enrolment statistics, education indicators, number of
teaching personnel, furniture, textbooks, classrooms, plus the water and
power supply of some 45,000 schools nationwide.
10 Point Education Agenda
The move to the K-12 policy comes as part of the 10 Point Education
Agenda which was set out by the current government administration. The K-
12 Basic Education Program, universal kindergarten and instruction in
mother-tongue languages are but three of the ten points Aquinos
administration want to implement in order to improve the overall quality of
education in Filipino schools.
The other seven points include:
Establish the Madaris Education as a sub-system in the current education
system;
Make every child a reader by Grade 1;
Improve science and mathematics;
Expand government assistance to private education;
Better textbooks;
Build more schools in cooperation with local government units (LGUs);
Re-introduce technical and vocational education in public high schools.
Australia extends a helping hand
Australia has long been a friend to the Philippines donating time, funding
and other resources, as well as working with the nation to develop and
ensure quality. Last month, the country granted PHP 8.4 billion (nearly US
$193 million) to address basic education issues and support the
implementation of the K-12 programme.
They have also funded a project to enhance the skills of school officials in
managing school processes and turn schools into learner-centred
institutions that continually improve and build on its best practices.
In return, Australia is surely hoping Filipino schools and students will select
Oz as their destination of choice for partnerships and study. As ICEF
Monitor reported in February, the Philippines is one of the top ten student
markets for Australian schools, colleges and universities.
Building classrooms and adding teachers
As mentioned, one of the ten points on the Education Agenda aims to
address severe overcrowding in Philippine schools and the shortage of
classrooms.
In October of last year, the Department of Education signed an agreement
with two winning consortia which will undertake the construction of close
to 10,000 classrooms.
The departments Public Private Partnership for School Infrastructure Project
(PSIP) will give schools the physical space they need and provides the
private sector the business opportunity to invest in the design, construction
and maintenance of classrooms.
Philippine Education Secretary Armin A. Luistro has said he hopes that by
doing so, the classrooms would stand as a testament to Filipino capability
and efficiency. Progress is well underway; construction of more than 9,000
classrooms began in March of this year.
But making more room for students is only half the solution; someone has
to teach them and as of early last month, the Department of Education still
hadnt filled over 61,500 teaching positions.
An increase in student enrolment which caused the shortage of teachers
was due to an increase in kindergarten students a result of the new K-12
curriculum, as well as students who were formerly enrolled in private school
transferring to public school because of tuition fee hikes.
Student enrolment in 2012/3 stood at 20.67 million: 1.77 million
kindergarten students, 13.26 million elementary students, and 5.64 million
high school students.
For foreign education providers, this lack of qualified teachers could mean
an opportunity to partner with institutions in the Philippines to develop a
teacher-training programme or qualification.
Increased focus on vocational education
A final point on the 10 Point Education Agenda calls for a re-introduction of
vocational and technical education in high schools, which has been
designed to give Filipino students practical skills to gain employment after
graduation a key component in tackling the high youth unemployment
rate in the Philippines.
Some advocates are calling for the adoption of the German model of
apprenticeship. The Manilla Bulletin reported:
The Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) wants the country to
incorporate Germanys system of dual technical-vocational education into
the K-12 basic education programme.
It is hoped that adopting the German model would help address the skills
mismatch between Filipino graduates and the jobs available. Ramon del
Rosario, chairman of the PBEd, has said now is the time to implement the
apprenticeship system, because of the start of the K-12 curriculum: It is a
good time because of the development of the senior high school curriculum
and that will have a track towards technical vocational education.
In May, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
announced it had completed the K-12 technical vocational curriculum, and
everything was in place for the start of the new school year.
TESDA Secretary Joel Villanueva said, Technical vocational education and
training (TVET) will play a central role in the new education model that
prepares students for tertiary education, middle-skills development,
employment and entrepreneurship. Courses include automotive servicing,
horticulture, welding, consumer electronics, dressmaking/tailoring,
carpentry, food processing and beauty care.
With such a strong focus on promoting technical-vocational education,
foreign providers who are looking to work in the Philippines might want to
consider how they can contribute to this development.
The Philippines as a study destination
Like many of its neighbouring countries, the Philippines has its eye on
becoming a study destination of choice for students from the Asia-Pacific
region.
In January of this year, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration reported that of
the 203,753 foreigners in the country, 47,478 are studying in schools and
universities across the country (which is 14% higher than the 41,443
foreigners who applied in 2011). The bulk of those (31,000) are under the
age of 18 and studying at an elementary or high school or on a short-term
(less than 1 year) course.
The Bureaus Commissioner Ricardo David Jr said: Our country is fast
emerging as a new educational hub in the Asia-Pacific region. More and
more foreigners are coming here to study and it demonstrates recognition
of the improved quality of our educational system. He attributed the influx
of foreign students to the quality of teaching and the use of English as the
medium of instruction.
Some of those students chose the Philippines to study English, and the
government is hoping to boost ESL student numbers by making it easier for
them to stay and learn.
In June, the Bureau of Immigration launched a long-stay tourist visa which
allows holders to stay for up to six months plenty of time to spend
studying on a language course.
Last year, ICEF Monitor reported that for international students studying
English in Australia, the Philippines had entered the competition as a
destination option for the first time in 2011. Backing that up, an article
in The PIE News quotes Ruth Tizon, Programme Director of the Philippines
ESL Tour Program, as saying,
The Philippines can compete with the US, UK or Australia as an ideal
destination for studying the English language. Aside from its large English-
speaking population [93.5% of Filipinos speak English well], competent
schools and faculty, the Philippines has a rich cultural heritage, offers
diverse tourism attractions and activities, and warmth and hospitality not
found anywhere else in the world.

4.
To excel in today's highly technical world, students need an educational
system that adapts quickly to the fluid expectations of society and enables
schooling to transcend time and place to better fit the learner. Too many
efforts to transform education fall short of this important step. As such,
ReSchool will create one, aligned system that will ultimately offer a variety
of opportunities for learners across all ages (early learning through the
workforce). This means eliminating transitions that can be challenging to
navigate in current systems between early childhood, K-12, postsecondary
education, and the workforce.A new proposed format of basic education has
been endorsed opening the way to the design of a new curriculum, the first
since 1985.
More than 100 participants who attended a meeting at Safari Park Hotel on
Friday were unanimous that the current primary and secondary education
levels will be in three levels.
According to proposals at the meeting, there will be early, middle and senior
schools.
Early school will take in ages of four and five for pre-primary followed by
lower primary between six and nine, if the new proposal is adopted.
Middle school will comprise upper primary and junior school.
Graduates of junior school will have different pathways to either senior
school, tertiary or higher education.
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After junior school, learners will pick either talent schools, general education
on technical and vocational education, or basic education and training.
The new curriculum also provides for clear ways for children with special
needs to transit seamlessly from lower to higher education.
At the end of the half-day meeting on Friday, Kenya Institute of Curriculum
Development Director Julius Jwan said the next stage is design and
development of syllabuses.
We can now confidently start the process of developing the subjects that
will be taught at all levels, Dr Jwan said.
Proposals of each stage will be presented for consideration.
Dr Jwan, a former Moi University lecturer, said doors were still open to
Kenyans to provide input on the curriculum reform.
Under the proposed curriculum, learning at pre-primary and lower primary
will only focus on foundation skills.
Middle school, comprising upper primary and junior school, will focus on
broad-based exploration. Learners will select the path they wish to learn at
subsequent levels.
Senior school, tertiary and higher education learners will specialise.
The Friday meeting also approved the broad areas that learning will focus
on.
Pre-primary will focus on communication skills, basic literacy, numeracy and
digital literacy skills for learning and enjoyment.
Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi said the reform will be subjected
to rigorous public participation.
He urged all players to debate the process professionally to ensure it was
not depoliticised.
Curriculum reforms have nothing to do with (2017) elections or any other
form of politics, he said.
Dr Matiangi also said the government will allow adequate time for piloting.
Universities will be allowed to prepare to handle the new graduates.
He said drafters of new curriculum will now start writing the syllabus.
Dr Matiangi promised that teachers will be trained to implement the new
curriculum.
Unicef Kenya country office education chief Daniel Baheta which has been
supporting said the reform was a first in the region.
We are seeing a process that is highly consultative and professional, he
said.
4 tlga
ilipinos are known to be competitive in the international community.
However, our current education system hinders us from becoming even
more competitive.
Starting in the 2012-2013 school year, the education system of the
Philippines was enhanced from the ten years of basic education to a 12-year
program through an initiative called the K-12 Education Plan sponsored by
the Department of Education.
The implementation of the K-12 plan in the Philippine Basic Education
Curriculum is the key to our nations development. Though the government
faces many problems as it implements the program over the course of
several years, it is a necessary improvement since increasing the quality of
our education is critical to our nation's success.
See below some ways that the K-12 education plan will be beneficial for the
Philippines according to Isagani Cruz (2010) in one of his columns in a local
newspaper.
Reasons for the K-12 Education System
1. Sufficient Instructional Time
With K-12 education, students will have sufficient instructional time for
subject-related tasks, making them more prepared in every subject area.
With the old system, Filipino students were consistently behind on
achievement scores.
In 2008, for instance, international test results revealed that Filipinos were
behind compared to other countries when we finished dead last in math.
2. More Skilled and Competent Labor Force
Another reason to support K-12 education is because the graduates of this
program will be more prepared to enter the labor force. High school
graduates of the 10-year curriculum were not yet employable since they
were not competent or wellequipped enough for the workplace.
In addition, high school graduates of the 10-year curriculum are not yet 18.
With the new curriculum, senior high school students can specialize in a
field that they are good at and interested in. As a result, upon graduation
they will have the specific job-related skills they need even without a
college degree. When they graduate from high school, these young people
will be 18 and employable, adding to the nations manpower.
3. Recognition as Professionals Abroad
Finally, with K-12 education, Filipino graduates will be automatically
recognized as professionals abroad because we are following the
international education standard as practiced by all nations.
There will be no need to study again and spend more money in order to
qualify for international standards. With a K-12 education, Filipino
professionals who aspire to work abroad will not have a hard time getting
jobs in their chosen field. Furthermore, they will be able to help their
families in the Philippines more with remittances, property purchase, and
small businesses.
K-12 Education Will Help Filipinos Gain a Competitive Edge
Though Filipinos are known to be competitive in the international
community, our current education system hinders us in becoming more
competitive among other countries. The K-12 education plan offers a
solution to that problem.
However, it is undeniable that there will be problems that arise as we
implement the program, which could include a lack of budget, classrooms,
school supplies, and teachers. That said, the long-term effects of K-12
education will be very beneficial to us Filipinos.
Therefore, we must support the K-12 educational plan to help improve our
educational system and our economy. Remember that change in our society
starts with education